Far Away
by Pumpkinsnuffles
Summary: I loved her. I loved that blonde haired blue eyed farmer girl. I like to think she loved me. The anti-social, hot headed, failure of a blacksmith.


**I don't know why, but this oneshot popped into my mind and it's bugging the hell out of me, so I'm posting it. This is based off of the song Far Away by Nickelback. I don't own Harvest Moon or any of its characters in any, way, shape or form, and I do not own the song Far Away either.**

**Far Away**

2 seasons. 2 seasons since I've had my heart and soul sucked out of me. 2 seasons since I've felt any emotion. 2 seaons since she left.

And it was killing me.

An argument. An argument that led to our downfall. I replayed it in my head; over and over as if I was trying make any sense of it.

Nothing made sense anymore.

I loved her. I _loved_ that blonde haired blue-eyed farmer girl. And I like to think she loved me. The anti-social, hot tempered, failure of a blacksmith. She made my heart beat. She made me happy. She made me feel alive.

But, she also made me feel _pain_.

After she left, I learned to numb the pain, even though it was tearing me apart inside. I saw her everywhere. Everything I looked at, I thought of her. When I look at the sky, I think of her bright blue eyes who could make the most saddistic man on Earth smile. When I look at the toy flowers in the spring, I think of her golden blonde locks that seemed to shine when the sunset hit them at just the right angle.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by my sister, Ann.

"Gray, why don't you do something besides sit there and sulk?" Ann suggested gently.

"That's all I can do Ann. I feel no emotion anymore. She took it with her." I answered blankly.

"Gray," Ann said with a sigh, "You're not the only one who misses her. The whole town does. But I guess she was meant to live in the city."

"Yeah well, I loved her." I said as I took a swig of the wine bottle I had as company.

Ann's facial expression fell in sympathy but she brushed off the topic reluctantly.

"Well, I signed you up for the kareoke contest. I know you can sing Gray. I've heard you. It's in a few minutes so I would suggest to go pick a song." Ann said as she pushed me over to where the kareoke song book lay on the table.

I flipped through the laminated pages and scanned the song titles uninstrestedly until one caught my eye. I quickly wrote down the song name and my name and put it in the basket.

I sat back down at my lone table and waited for my dad to announce the start of the contest.

"Alright everyone, settle down," I heard my dad's voice speak through the microphone, "We're about ready to start the kareoke contest. Just left me draw out a name here."

Dad put his hand in the name basket full of papers and turned his head away and mixed the slips up. He did that for about a minute and finally settled on one slip of paper.

"The first contestant is, Gray singing Far Away by Nickleback!" Dad said happily.

I made my way up the stairs and took the wireless microphone from my dad and sat on the stool that he had put up there. I hid my face under my hat to hide any emotion, for I was afraid that anyone would see me cry if that was to happen.

_This time, This place  
>Misused, Mistakes<br>Too long, Too late  
>Who was I to make you wait?<em>

_Just one chance__  
>Just one breath<br>Just in case there's just one left  
>'Cause you know,<br>you know, you know_,

_That I love you__  
>I have loved you all along<br>And I miss you  
>Been far away for far too long<br>I keep dreaming you'll be with me  
>and you'll never go<br>Stop breathing if  
>I don't see you anymore<em>

I squeezed my eyes shut to prevent the tears from falling as the song played softly in the backround. The whole inn was quiet as I sang. They were probably in shock.

_On my knees, I'll ask__  
>Last chance for one last dance<br>'Cause with you, I'd withstand  
>All of hell to hold your hand<em>,

_I'd give it all__  
>I'd give for us<br>Give anything but I won't give up  
>'Cause you know,<br>you know, you know,_

_That I love you  
>I have loved you all along<br>And I miss you  
>Been far away for far too long<br>I keep dreaming you'll be with me  
>and you'll never go<br>Stop breathing if  
>I don't see you anymore.<em>

I opened my eyes when I heard the murmmers of the townsfolk and the sound of shifting bodies. And then I felt like I needed to look up. And I did.

And standing there, in her overalls and her blondes hair in a high messy ponytail, her blue eyes filled with tears, was _Claire._

_I wanted  
>I wanted you to stay<br>'Cause I needed  
>I need to hear you say<br>That I love you  
>I have loved you all along<br>And I forgive you  
>For being away for far too long<br>So keep breathing  
>'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore<br>Believe it  
>Hold on to me and, never let me go<br>_

Claire smiled shakily and nodded as tears fell like a waterfall down her cheeks. I stood up from my stool and looked Claire in the eyes. I followed her with my eyes as she slowly walked to the staircase and started up the stairs.

_Keep breathing,  
>'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore,<br>Believe it,  
>Hold on to me and, never let me go,<br>Keep breathing,  
>Hold on to me and, never let me go,<br>Keep breathing,  
>Hold on to me and, never let me go,<em>

The song was over and I dropped the microphone and ran to Claire as she ran to me and we met somewhere in the middle. I picked her up by her waist and hugged her tightly as if I let her go she would disappear.

I put her down as she cryed some more and I let a few tears fall as well.

"Keep breathing and never let me go, I'm staying." She softly.

"I never wanted to." I said with a shakey smile. She pushed my hat off my head and started to run her hands through auburn locks as the distance between our faces got smaller until I closed it.

Soon enough Ann was just about squeezing the life out of Claire as she cried and told her to never leave again.

"Ann, I can tell you, home is where the heart is, and I didn't know until now that a peron's home can be another person. I know that because Gray had my heart a long time ago." Claire sniffled as she hugged Ann again.

Claire turned and looked at me again and kissed me deeply once more.

"I love you. It was hell when I was in the city." Claire whipered to me.

"It was hell for me when you were in the city too. I missed you so much." I whispered back.

And Claire stuck to her word as I stuck to mine. She never left because I never let her go. And I breathed again.


End file.
